Mother and the four kids. Life in the Nebraska frontier during the 1800’s was tough.
This small sod house was a one room house for an entire family of five! The photo
was a copy made from a tin-type. The original tin-type was made in the 1800s, while
the copy was produced sometime in the 1920s. This restoration was one of my earlier
works in photo restoration.

This photo, from 1948, was originally a black and white photo which was hand colored
by the portrait studio. The girl in the photo may seem to resemble Shirley Temple,
but trust me, she is not Shirley Temple! That’s the owner’s Mom! The photo was taken
in Los Angeles, California. Original photo is on the left half and restoration on
the right.

It really is a tragedy when a treasured or important photograph gets damaged. Whether
the damage comes simply from the ravages of time or from some type of physical damage,
we can repair virtually any photograph.

In addition to restoration, we can also colorize your photo. Photo colorizing also
includes a restoration of the photo prior to colorization.

This photo was originally taken in the early 1900s. The original was a copy made
in the 1920s from the original. The copy was rather poorly produced and over the
years has also sustained much damage, including being broken down the center of the
photo with rips and missing pieces.. To restore this photo, parts of the carriage
and wheel had to be redrawn. The photo on the right is a colorization of this picture.

About the Photo Restoration Artist

My name is John. I am a photo restoration artist. In my shop we scan photos and transfer
videos and film footage, but the most rewarding thing I do in my shop is restoring
old or damaged photos. For me, there is nothing quite like the satisfaction of returning
a photograph from the brink of destruction.

I have restored many photos: from fading away tin-types of 150 years ago to somehow
damaged modern day color photos from today. Every photo in need of restoration is
an amazing story, waiting to be told again before the original print finally falls
prey to nature. No matter what kind of photo it is, and no matter how it has become
damaged, I likely can make your photo as good as new again.

How a Photo Is Restored

Here’s a few points important to understanding how a photograph is restored. The
original photo is never actually changed. Instead, your original photo is scanned
on a professional flat bed scanner at extremely high resolution. The flat bed scanner
is very gentle to the original photograph-no moving parts ever touch the surface
of the photo. Once the original is scanned, computer editing is done to the digital
copy. You will get the original back otherwise completely untouched.

Your restoration or colorization includes one print of the same or similar size (up
to 8x10) and a digital copy of the image put on a disc. Additional prints or prints
larger than 8x10 cost extra.

I do the work, which gives you the opportunity to talk to me, the restoration artist,
enabling you the advantage of a better outcome.

Other places use a third party. The
local person doesn’t actually know how to fix damaged photos and the third party
has no communication with you, so they are working blindly on your photo.

I do not use many automated filters in my restore work. I lean very heavily on my
artistic talent to visually repair every bit of a photo, resulting in a restored
image that is clearer than the work done elsewhere.

Most other photo artists use
a lot of automated filters to do repair work on photos which results in photos that
are often very blurry. Using too many filters results in new damage in the restoration
that was not present in the original.

In my opinion, photos that are scanned for restoration must be scanned at resolutions
even higher than are used for archiving photographs. The purpose of ultra high resolution
scanning is to bring out details that still remain on the print, but are too difficult
to see with the human eye.

Most other services scan your photo at the minimum resolution
needed for printing, which is about 83% lower resolution than when I scan a photo
for restoration. In addition, they convert the scanned photo to a compressed JPEG
image which further degrades the image before the restoration artist even sees it.

Your money stays local. You are paying me directly to make a restored image of your
photo.

Other labs send your photo out to a third party, who generally resend the
work from their facilities to artists anywhere in the world. Money is lost in every
step of the transaction. Finally, the artist at the end of the chain is payed poorly
and will rush to finish a restoration trying to make up for the low pay.

When I do your restoration, if you aren’t satisfied by the result, then you have
the opportunity to explain what I missed and I will work to make it right. Additionally,
if I cannot make it right, there is no fee. Other labs who use third parties can
only send the original out again with a note, hoping for a better result the next
time.

I have 16 years experience editing photos. I have been in business, operating my
own studio, since May 2011. For a competitive price, I provide a superior product
and a personal experience that most other restorers can’t match.

Reasons to Choose Pictures to Digital

There is a fairly distinct difference between photo restorations I do and a restoration
done through a photo lab at a department store or drug store.

I do the work, which gives you the opportunity to talk to me, the restoration artist,
enabling you the advantage of a better outcome.

Other places use a third party. The local person doesn’t actually know how to fix
damaged photos and the third party has no communication with you, so they are working
blindly on your photo.

I do not use many automated filters in my restore work. I lean very heavily on my
artistic talent to visually repair every bit of a photo, resulting in a restored
image that is clearer than the work done elsewhere.

Most other photo artists use a lot of automated filters to do repair work on photos
which results in photos that are often very blurry. Using too many filters results
in new damage in the restoration that was not present in the original.

In my opinion, photos that are scanned for restoration must be scanned at resolutions
even higher than are used for archiving photographs. The purpose of ultra high resolution
scanning is to bring out details that still remain on the print, but are too difficult
to see with the human eye.

Most other services scan your photo at the minimum resolution needed for printing,
which is about 83% lower resolution than when I scan a photo for restoration. In
addition, they convert the scanned photo to a compressed JPEG image which further
degrades the image before the restoration artist even sees it.

Your money stays local. You are paying me directly to make a restored image of your
photo.

Other labs send your photo out to a third party, who generally resend the work from
their facilities to artists anywhere in the world. Money is lost in every step of
the transaction. Finally, the artist at the end of the chain is payed poorly and
will rush to finish a restoration trying to make up for the low pay.

When I do your restoration, if you aren’t satisfied by the result, then you have
the opportunity to explain what I missed and I will work to make it right. Additionally,
if I cannot make it right, there is no fee.

Other labs who use third parties can only send the original out again with a note,
hoping for a better result the next time.

I have 16 years experience editing photos. I have been in business, operating my
own studio, since May 2011.

For a competitive price, I provide a superior product and a personal experience that
most other restorers can’t match.